02 AUGUST 2015

Hokmi Wins Second Title In France

Nadya Hokmi captured her second WBF title on October 17 in Sarcelles, France, when she won a well-fought ten-round majority decision over Mexico’s Linda Soto to capture the vacant Bantamweight crown.

Hokmi, who previously held the WBF Super Flyweight title and never lost it in the ring, was in with a determined challenger in Soto who clearly came to win and got off to a good start.

The visitor fought aggressively and landed well to body and head, but in the third round Hokmi seemed to find her rhythm and after four stanzas the scores were dead even.

Soto, the reigning WBF Intercontinental Super Flyweight ruler, remained dangerous and determined, and clearly had her share of success in the remainder of the bout as Hokmi’s right eye started to swell in round five.

But it was the local favorite who finished the fight best and won most of the rounds on two of the scorecards.

After ten entertaining rounds that were a credit to women’s boxing, judges Brahim Ait Aaid and Christophe Hembert both scored in favor of Hokmi by 97-93, while Sergio Sotelo had it even at 95-95.

The new WBF Women’s Bantamweight Champion improved her record to 20-6-1 (9), while Soto, ten years the younger at 26, fell to 6-4 (3).

Also on the card, late substitute Fabriece Aurieng won the vacant WBF International Heavyweight title with a wide unanimous decision over seasoned Brazilian Raphael Zumbano.

Aurieng, fighting from his tricky southpaw stance, was throughout the busier and hungrier fighter of the two, and outlanded the more experienced Zumbano in practically every round.